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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24586570">lead me to the land (that you understand)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/svladcjelli/pseuds/svladcjelli'>svladcjelli</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>1917 (Movie 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Diving, Getting Together, M/M, Marine Biologist William Schofield, Sailor Tom Blake, theyre also nd but i dont talk about it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:15:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,692</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24586570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/svladcjelli/pseuds/svladcjelli</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom is a sailor along the Essex coasts and Will is a university student studying marine biology in need of research for his thesis. They meet by chance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tom Blake &amp; William Schofield, Tom Blake/William Schofield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. ride the bus 'till it's empty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>oh my god i cant believe im actually doing this. shoutout to alex (again) from the 2nd, this actually wouldnt happen without you :') uh lil disclaimer i KNOW some of the stuff scho does here isnt exactly method practice but its for the sake of the plot. im a diver, it hurt me too man. hope you enjoy anyway!!! titles from ocean man by ween :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>William Schofield was a second-year Southampton University student majoring in Marine Biology. It was his final term before being a third-year working with the research team and as nerve-wracking as that was, it was simultaneously the most excited he had ever been. </p><p>In his dorm, he paced back and forth.</p><p>"When you get there, yeah," Jondalar spoke to Will on the other end of the phone, "You're gonna stay with the Blakes. They're a good family, they housed me when I was doing my studies for second year. I'll send you Miss Blake's email so you can set something up, hopefully. She's got a son, Tom, who sails for a living and can take you out far enough to see the best sponges in your life."</p><p>Oh, that sounded promising, going on a boat with a stranger to finish your studies. For the first time, he wished he went with the other students who studied along Pembrokeshire Coast. </p><p>"Shit, I have to go. Rossi walked into the glass door again." </p><p>Will had to stifle a laugh, "Okay. See you, then." </p><p>There was rustling on Jon's line, "Yeah, good luck with everything." It was a bit rushed for obvious reasons but remained sincere nonetheless. </p><p>"Thanks again." And Will hung up. He took a breath- what had he gotten himself into? </p><p> </p><p>A few emails back and forth and the dates were coordinated. (He was silently grateful for the lack of phone calls that were placed, he never did too well when the phone rang.) Martha Blake was her name and Will could tell she had been a mother for decades solely by the way she replied to his emails. She mentioned her two sons, Tom and Joe, who were both sailors but Tom was far more invested in boating. </p><p>
  <em>'I won't mind another boy in my house; especially a scholar,' she wrote, 'maybe you could teach a thing or two to Tom about university. I've told my boys, they're already excited for your arrival - I am too. Thanks, Martha x'</em>
</p><p>Not too far east to Southampton was the town of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. It was a coastal town in which Tom Blake grew up in a close-knit community, making a living through his family's orchard and on-the-side fishing business. He never went to university- he didn't find the point in studying when he could help with his family's business. Sailing was his passion after taking over Joe's small boat for his eighteenth birthday- it was something  calming and kept him busy all the same.</p><p>Besides cherries and oysters, his family was somewhat known for housing university students interested in oceanography. There was a diving spot those researchers-in-training went to, somewhere Tom was often tasked to sail out to. His mother had a habit of generous hospitality that Tom loved- as he was constantly meeting those smart university students from out of the region. </p><p>It was a fun job. </p><p>It was no surprise when Martha had told him another lad was going to stay with them for about two weeks, and Tom would be lying if he said he wasn't ecstatic to meet him. <em>William Schofield, </em>she said his name was. A cute name, he decided.</p><p> </p><p>It was a Wednesday when Will set foot in residential Clacton-on-Sea in the pouring rain. Homes were right by the water- a concept Will had always dreamed of. He stared at the ocean for a minute, trying desperately to calm his nerves before having to knock on a door that wasn't his. Will knew which house was the Blakes' by the amount of cherry trees in the yard, something Miss Blake clearly prided herself on and rightfully so- there were a lot, all in full bloom. Will wasn't well-versed in trees but he had to admit it was a sight to behold. </p><p>Martha, like in her emails, was certainly one of the nicest people Will had ever met. He was first greeted by Myrtle- an obviously pregnant Bernese Mountain Dog- and then by Martha herself, urging Will inside to escape the downpour. </p><p>"Come on, love. You're gonna catch a cold!" Her Essex accent was thick and wore a faded apron, clearly worn from use. </p><p>The first thing he noted was the scent of fresh-baked bread that spread throughout the house. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. </p><p> </p><p>Will had settled in the guestroom by the time Tom came home and knocked at his door. Textbooks were splayed across the desk where Will sat, eventually looking up from reading and gazing at the door where someone had tapped. </p><p>Will cleared his throat, "Uh, come in." </p><p>And the door revealed one of the prettiest boys Will had ever laid eyes upon.</p><p>"Will, yeah?" </p><p>It was as if he had forgotten the entirety of his English vocabulary in a single moment. He nodded, "Yeah." </p><p>"Tom, but you knew that already." And he offered up a smile that made Will's heart jump.</p><p>Will's eyes briefly met Tom's and- <em>pomatomus salatrix, </em>he thought, the common bluefish. That was the colour he was searching for. </p><p>"I'm the one with the boat and uh, I'm free anytime tomorrow if you need me ta' take you out." </p><p>"Oh," Will stuttered, "I- Is ten okay? In the morning, I mean- it's better to get out early but if not-" </p><p>Tom laughed and Will swore he could feel his heart skip a beat. "Yeah, that works. I'll see you at dinner, then." </p><p>Will could only nod.</p><p>When Tom left the room, he exhaled like it was the first time he could breathe. He ran a hand through short hair, smiling a bit to himself, head clouded with <em>Will Schofield. </em></p><p> </p><p>Dinner was better than Will expected. Joe was absent as he was out with his boyfriend (Ellis, he noted) that night, leaving the table to Tom, Will, and Martha. The latter had made homemade mac 'n cheese along with hand-baked bread from that afternoon and it was easily one of the best meals Will had ever had. </p><p>After dinner, Will insisted he helped with washing-up, much to Martha's pleasure. Tom helped as well, making conversation while they did so. </p><p>"Where're you from?" </p><p>"Hammersmith." </p><p>"Where're you studying?" </p><p>"Southampton."</p><p>"You've got a girlfriend?" </p><p>Will nearly dropped the plate he was drying. </p><p>"Not yet, no. You?" </p><p>Tom laughed even though there was no real humour behind it, "Of course not." </p><p>Will laughed too but he wasn't exactly sure why but he supposed it didn't really matter. </p><p> </p><p>Going to sleep was an unexpected feat. Will couldn't stop thinking about those pomatomous salatrix eyes and on the other side of the wall, Tom's mind was plagued by thoughts of that fluffy dirty-blond hair that simply wouldn't leave his mind. </p><p>It was going to be a long two weeks. </p><p> </p><p><em>9:30 A.M. </em>the clock said. It was raining, but maybe that was a good thing. It didn't matter when you were beneath the water's surface but it did affect the type of wildlife that were out. He had his gear tucked away in a large backpack- BCD, weights, computer, everything he needed- before Martha stopped him. </p><p>"Tom's already down by the docks, he was excited for today and already got all ," She said, stuffing a brown paper bag into a pocket of his backpack, "And I made you a lunch. I know you diving-types tend to eat a lot." </p><p>"Oh- Thank you, Miss Blake." </p><p>"Please dear, call me Martha." </p><p>He smiled shyly. </p><p>"On you get, then. Earlier the better, right?" </p><p>"Right." </p><p> </p><p>The walk to the docks was short- you could view the boats from the house. When he got there, Tom was moving oxygen tanks from the surface of the dock to the interior of the boat. </p><p>"Here, lemme help." Feeling the weight of an oxygen tank in his hands felt familiar, near comforting. There were two tanks just like Will had asked before bed. Soon enough, Tom got the motor going and they were on their way. Tom assured him he knew the most active marine life areas of Clacton-on-Sea and for some reason, Will trusted him. (And he was glad he did.) </p><p>"Never dove before, but this is where the lads set up." He stopped the boat, "There should be some cement thingy on the bottom about six metres down." </p><p>Will nodded, setting up his BCD. Tank, straps, two regulators, more straps, weights, torch, buckles- he ran through the motions. Tom could tell he was practiced. He got his flippers on and inflated his BCD just before jumping in, floating in the water with ease. Though the water was cold, Will was comfortable. Will set up the buoy where he was instructed by Tom, holding the line with one hand and the other on the deflator. </p><p>He set his mask over his eyes and popped his main regulator in his mouth all while Tom watched from the edge of the boat. </p><p>Tom smiled before Will submerged, "Good luck, Scho." </p><p>It was about forty-five minutes before Tom started to spot Will resurface. The weather had cleared a bit, the sun finally poking through the clouds- something Tom was grateful for. He moved from the hold of the boat to the edge so he could watch Will fully resurface, head full of questions like <em>what did you see? Were there any whales? I bet you saw a lot of mollusks, that's common, innit? Was there anything cool? </em></p><p>Will's head broke the surface of the water as he inflated his BCD to float on the surface. He spat his regulator that fell beside him into the saltwater, pushing his mask just above his forehead so Tom could see those wide, glistening blue eyes. With his regulator spat out, he grinned the largest smile the world had seen. </p><p>"It was amazing!" His voice was full of sincerity and excitement like a child on Christmas morning, even through the bits of hoarseness that came from breathing compressed air. </p><p>Something swelled in Tom's heart and- </p><p> </p><p>Oh, how he was in love with William Schofield. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. faced with a dodo's conundrum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An afternoon dive leads to a walk on the beach. Things happen from there.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WELCOME BACK!!!!! part 2, lets go. this seires is so stupid but kinda has a place in my heart now ngl :flushed: anwayy. hope you enjoy :)<br/>(AND HAPPY WORLD OCEANS DAY!)<br/>some footnotes:<br/>bcd stands for buoyancy control device<br/>computer is referring to a dive computer, somethin we use to log n track depth, temp, all that good stuff (and in this case carbon dioxide in the body)<br/></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a break between dives that Tom knew divers had to take, something about carbon dioxide buildup in their bodies. He never exactly paid attention to all the science-y details of it, but he did know to pack two separate towels whenever they went out. </p><p>Will stood in the cockpit of the boat wrapped up in a grey-blue towel, dismembering the tanks from his BCD. He had about half an hour between dives but preferred to have everything ready before getting back in the water so he spent his time switching tanks and talking to Tom.</p><p>"My thesis is going to be on bivalve codependency," The straps of the BCD clacked together, "And there are so many bivalves down there. No one told me there'd be so many." </p><p>Tom had never head Will so talkative, his voice carrying excitement that Tom didn't even know he had. </p><p>"Even saw a limaria hians! I've never seen one up close before." </p><p>"What's that?" </p><p>"They're called flame shell clams. They resemble scallops, actually, and they've got these orange tentacle like filaments coming out of their valves-" </p><p>"Oh, we call 'em 'Orange Boys' around here." </p><p>Will laughed, if Tom weren't so cute he would've thought it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. Instead, he found it fucking <em>endearing </em>to hear limaria hians be talked about like that. </p><p>Tom tried peering at the bulky watch on Will's wrist, "How much time's left 'till you go down again? What's your computer say?" </p><p>"What?" Will glanced at him, confusion written across his face, "How'd you know?"</p><p>"I've hung around your kind before." </p><p>"Divers?" </p><p>"Nerds." </p><p>Will laughed again, a sound that reverberated in Tom's ears and made his heart swell with something akin to pride. </p><p>"A couple minutes. Uh, thanks for this by the way- Housing me and taking me out n' all." </p><p>Tom wanted to take him out in a different way, too. "It's no problem. It's somethin' Mum's been doing since forever." </p><p>"That's great you know, one of my mates-" Will looked down at his computer, "Shit. I need to get back in, I'll be back in probably around fourty-five minute?" </p><p>Tom smiled. "I'll be here." </p><p>Will got his BCD on, tugged on the top straps and buckled the clips and felt around his pockets for weights, double checking he had everything. It was the same order every time- a consistent routine. He jumped back into the water and shivered when his skin met the engulfing coldness. It only took a minute of getting used to before he put his mask on and shoved his main regulator in his mouth. He deflated his BCD nearly all the way before letting himself be submerged fully as Tom watched him go. </p><p>In the helm, Tom grabbed his phone. There was a notification on the lock screen from Joe reading, <em>'How is it with William?'</em></p><p>Tom screamed internally, his heart jumping at the name. </p><p>
  <em>'omg hfdkjshfkdsjh hes???? amazing' </em>
</p><p>Joe replied in a near instant- that was something he was always good at. </p><p>
  <em>'You're getting along then? Don't cause too much trouble for Mum.' </em>
</p><p>
  <em>'im not!!!!! hes just,,,,, oh ym god joe hes so pretty' </em>
</p><p>
  <em>'That's? Not what I expected but okay. Sounds like you've got a crush on him then.' </em>
</p><p>Tom considered shutting off his phone.</p><p>
  <em>'fuck u.' </em>
</p><p>
  <em>'Yeah. Gtg, Ellis burned knocked over a plant and is yelling about it now.' </em>
</p><p>
  <em>'ok' </em>
</p><p>He sighed. Joe was right, wasn't he? Joe was right about a lot of things (though Tom would never admit it) and he really hit the nail on the head. He had a crush on William Schofield. So when he saw Will's head pop up from the ocean surface the butterflies in his stomach returned.</p><p>"How was it?" He called from the edge. </p><p>Will flashed that grin, the same one that sent Tom's head spinning. </p><p>"Great!" He called, carrying the buoy with him as he kicked his way back to the boat. Tom rushed over to take the buoy from his hold and hoist Will up to sit on the ledge just enough to sit and take off his flippers. Immediately, he was already talking on a tangent. </p><p>"I saw this bivalve, tellina tenius- the biggest one i've ever seen. Wide open, too! Nearly clamped my hand but it was worth it." He set his flippers aside and unbuckled his BCD. </p><p>"You saw a <em>what? </em>I swear, you're just making shit up at this point, mate." </p><p>"A thin tellin! You'll see their shells everywhere on the shore, they're some of the most common." </p><p>Tom tossed him a towel, "Yeah?" </p><p>"Yeah." Will smiled. </p><p> </p><p>And their days continued like that. Two tanks per outing, sometimes twice a day if they could manage. It was their way back on a rainy Friday when Will was wrapped up in a light yellow towel (the colour suited his personality, Tom thought) when he said something that made Will's heart flutter. </p><p>"You know," He started, "I always wanted to dive. I wanna see what you see." </p><p>"You should. It's great down there." </p><p>Tom laughed, "So I've heard." </p><p>Joe was home for the next few days- he switched from living with Ellis Leslie and living at home throughout the week- so when they returned home, Will pulled him aside. He took the liberty of asking him if he could mind the boat on Saturday while he took Tom diving and much to his exhilaration, Joe said yes. </p><p>It would be a surprise, Will decided. </p><p>"You keep him safe though, yeah? Or I'll have your head." </p><p>Will wrung his hands, "Of course. I instructed for a bit, if that's assuring." </p><p>Joe nodded, knowing it was the sort of thing Tom had always wanted to do- he also understood how much it would mean to Tom.</p><p> </p><p>By the time Saturday rolled around, Joe had managed to pull a few strings and get an extra BCD. It wasn't the best, but it would have to do. Will had finished his first dive and had already replaced his tank all while Tom watched. It astounded him how Will worked with ease and control, how he looked so comfortable to be replacing a tank of air. </p><p>Will pulled a second BCD from an overstuffed bag and began setting it up and Tom wondered what he was doing but didn't know enough about diving to dispute his actions. From the helm, Joe smiled. </p><p>Will looked at Tom but managed to avoid eye contact, a trait that Tom noted but found charming all the same. "Alright, your turn." </p><p>Tom nearly choked. "What?" </p><p>"You said you wanted to dive and..." Will wondered if he was overstepping boundaries, "Maybe you should give it a shot." </p><p>He couldn't describe the joy that overcame him. </p><p>"Joe didn't put you up to this, did he?" </p><p>"No, but he did help. Now get into your BCD-" </p><p>"My fucking what?" </p><p>This was going to be harder than Will anticipated. Will gestured to the BCD that was normally his and while his head screamed that he shouldn't let others even touch his gear, he knew it'd be better for Tom to use good-condition equipment for his first time diving. </p><p>"That's your's though, innit?" </p><p>"Not for today. Hurry up, then."  </p><p>Will helped him in, teaching him the terms of the straps and buckles and everything in between. Tom nodded like he understood but while Will was talking, he was busy counting the four freckles that were scattered across his left cheek. It must've been from all the time in the sun, he thought. </p><p>He taught Tom the important hand signals like <em>Okay, Not okay, Descend, You lead, I'll follow, This way, Stop, </em>and some of the wildlife like <em>Eel, Octopus, Whale. </em></p><p>"When we go down, you can hold my hand." Will's tone was matter-of-fact but Tom couldn't stop the way his heart quickened. <em>He was going to hold hands with William Schofield. </em></p><p>And he did. While they were descending down the buoy line, all the way to the cement block it was tied down to, they held hands. When Will let go, the warmth of his hand left Tom's in a way he couldn't describe. Beneath the ocean's surface it was serene and a bit scary all the same and while Tom should have been observing the new world around him, his eyes were fixated on the way Will moved through the water. He was ethereal- he looked at home, like the water was where he was most comfortable. </p><p>And in many ways, he supposed it was. </p><p>Will shot Tom a look and gave him a signal that Tom couldn't remember. He shrugged and through his mask, he could see Will roll his eyes with a faint grin on his face. He waved Tom over and pointed to a cluster of coral where small fish were nipping at-</p><p>Eel! That was the signal! Tom looked closer and there it was, a small eel with its mouth agape. Tom had never seen anything like it but it's mouth flapped open periodically in a way that looked robotic and he giggled. For the first time, he could see from Will's perspective. </p><p>The water carried the vibrations to Will where he could feel Tom's hearty laugh in his chest. Will looked at Tom and his heart flooded with something warm and oh Christ, he was in love with Tom. It hit him all at once- he really, really loved him. </p><p>When they resurfaced, they inflated their BCDs fully to float. Tom was the first to spit out his regulator, waving his hands about, "That was incredible! Do you really see that everyday? It was so pretty, Will, thank you so much-" </p><p>Will could only smile, "Yeah. It was even better with you." </p><p> </p><p>"Mum! Will took me diving today, it was so pretty! I got to see an eel and all these 'lil fishes!" Tom excalimed the moment he got through the door. Joe had parted ways already and Tom and Will both thanked him profusely for helping out. Both boys were still dripping with water and Myrtle was quick to sniff around their legs. </p><p>Tom leaned down to pet her, "Oh, you wouldn't believe the things I saw." </p><p>Will had never felt so much pride in his chest. </p><p>When dinner time came around, both of them were dried and Tom wouldn't stop talking to Martha about all the fish they saw. Martha continued to eat, content with listening to her son ramble on. </p><p>"And there were these sea breams-" </p><p>"Butterfish, actually." Will said in between bites of mashed potatoes. </p><p>"No, it was a sea bream. It had the black band on the tail, 'member?" </p><p>"Oh," Will nearly blushed. "Yeah." He felt showed up but the fact that Tom knew more than him about fish sent off something in his chest. He wondered if Tom felt the same. </p><p> </p><p>After dinner, Tom took Will for a walk along the beach. The sky was clear and carried a purple hue and the lack of people was a shock. Will pointed at a shell still slick with water, "What's that one from?" </p><p>Tom chuckled. "Great scallop, obviously. Who's the biologist here?" </p><p>Will laughed along, "I'm a marine biologist, not a shell identifier. Did you know there are more than four-hundred species of scallops?"  </p><p>"You're takin' the piss." </p><p>"I'm not!" </p><p>Will ran over to a large rock that was half-buried in the sand. </p><p>"What're you doing?" </p><p>He flipped over the rock, revealing dozens of scrambling crabs. Tom let out a soft '<em>woah.'</em></p><p>They both crouched down to get a better look at the grey-red crabs that were scrambling to escape. Their foreheads were nearly touching but they were so fixated on the revealed crabs to notice. </p><p>"Metacarcinus magisters," Will breathed. </p><p>They looked up at the same time, their faces so close their noses were mere inches apart. </p><p>"They call 'em dungeness crabs here." Tom smiled. </p><p> </p><p>And Will pulled him into a kiss. </p><p>It felt like it lasted minutes but was over too soon. </p><p>When they pulled away, they nearly laughed. For once, Will was the first to speak. </p><p>"I think I love you." </p><p>Tom chuckled.</p><p>"I think I love you too." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and thats that! thanks for stickin around lads, this made me thinking about diving the more than i have for about a year. really missing the water now ngl. but thank you so so much for reading!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>when i will next upload????? only time will tell,,, thank u sm for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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